DIE HARD’s new album, Conjure The Legions, will be released on September 25th through Agonia Records.

PIG DESTROYER has picked Book Burner as the title for its next album, out on October 23rd through Relapse Records. The band’s album was recorded at Visceral Sound Studios in Alexandria, Virginia.

New Orleans’ HAARP has announced the release of a new studio album, entitled Husks. Set for release on September 18th through Housecore Records, the follow-up to 2010’s The Filth offers up three tracks. Husks was recorded at the University of New Orleans Performing Arts Center, Fountainbleau Room 7011, and Nodferatu’s Lair by Philip H. Anselmo.

German melodic metal band AUTUMNBLAZE have announced signing to Pulverised Records. Every Sun Is Fragile has already been recorded and will be released soon.

DESTRUCTION has picked Spiritual Genocide as the title for its thirtieth anniversary album, to be released in November through Nuclear Blast Records.

Texas-based VEX was on the road as part of the Summer of Losers East Coast Tour in support of its most recent recording, Memorious. While on the road, VEX was selling hand-numbered, limited-edition copies of Memorious with artwork designed by bassist William Edgar.

Norwegian Death Metal band CHTON will release its sophomore album, The Devil Builds on the 15th of September 2012 through the German label Godeater Records. The vinyl edition of the album is planned for early winter 2013. CHTON has announced a new singer Craig (also in DEMONTERA) to its ranks. After its previous vocalist Terje (CHTON vocalist from 2002 to 2011) left the band just after recording CHTON’s album The Devil Builds the band had a brief period as a four-piece with bass-player Ola handling main vocals.

Kaotoxin Records has announced September 3rd as the date on which Scorn Aesthetics from French death metal band AD PATRES will be released.

Hymns of Ghastly Horror is the fourth album from Swedish band REVOLTING and is scheduled to arrive internationally September 7th on FDA Rekotz. The vinyl LP version will be released on November 16th.

Bay Area thrash band KILL RITUAL has signed a worldwide deal for the October 30th release of its debut CD, The Serpentine Ritual with Scarlet Records. The album was recorded and engineered by KILL RITUAL Lead Guitarist Steve Rice at Fang Studio in San Mateo, CA and Fossil Sound in San Jose, CA. Mix and Mastering was done by Andy LaRocque of KING DIAMOND at his Sonic Train Studio in Varberg Sweden. LaRocque also made a guest appearance on the album with the final solo on the track, Coat Of Blood.

Randy Blythe of LAMB OF GOD has been released from the Czech prison where he was held following the death of a stagediving fan. Bail was set at the man’s annual salary of over $200,000.

FDA Rekotz will release My Empire from Germany’s young death metal band DESERTED FEAR on September 28th in Germany and October 1st worldwide.

FRAGMENTS OF UNBECOMING has completed work on a new album, The Art Of Coming Apart, due in December through Cyclone Empire.

ACCU§ER has picked Diabolic as the title for its next album, due out in April 2013 through Red Shift Music/H’ART. The album will be recorded in October at Gernhart studio with producer Martin Buchwalter (DESTRUCTION, etc.).

Vancouver death/grind band AUROCH has digitally released its debut full-length, From Forgotten Worlds, on Tuesday, August 28th. The label for the album is Hellthrasher Productions. The album is inspired by H.P. Lovecraft and is a follow-up to the 2010 demo release Stranger Aeons.

French death metal band UNCHAINED will release the debut album Oncoming Chaos worldwide on September 10th 2012 through M & O MUSIC. Oncoming Chaos is mixed by Damien Rainaud and mastered by Logan Mader (GOJIRA, etc.) at The Omen Room Studio in Los Angeles.

BEHEADED will release a new album, Never To Dawn, on November 6th through Unique Leader Records. The album was recorded at Temple Studio in Malta and was mixed at 16th Cell Studio in Rome, Italy.

Yonkers, New York-based technical death/grind band MALIGNANCY has an album called Eugenics. Set to be issued on October 9, 2012 through Willowtip Records, Eugenics was recorded throughout 2010 and 2011 by Eliot Gellar at the Gellar Cellar Studio in Mahopac, New York, mixed and mastered by Luca Minieri at Dissonant Studio in Aosta, Italy and features the cover art of Justin Osbourn of Slasher Designs. It is loosely based around the concept of eugenics.

Heaven and Hell Records is releasing Crimes Against Humanity from North Carolina thrashers EUGENIC DEATH on September 18th.

French thrash metal band DEAD COWBOY’S SLUTS will release its debut album, The Hand Of Death, on September 19th through M&O Music.

PRO-PAIN has signed with Goomba Music. Straight To The Dome is out next month.

Following the recent North American release of SARCOFAGO’s rare Decade Of Decay album, Greyhaze Records has just released the details of the upcoming 2xLP pressing.

Icelandic death metal act ANGIST has signed with Abyss Records. The band’s self-released five-track EP, Circle Of Suffering, was made available for the first time in North America by Abyss Records this summer. A full-length is planned.

Drummer Kerim “Krimh” Lechner has left Polish death metal band DECAPITATED over personal differences.

DEATH ANGEL has added shows to its tour with TESTAMENT and ANTHRAX. The group will perform its 1987 debut album, The Ultra-Violence, in its entirety at these shows. DEATH ANGEL drummer Will Carroll has joined AC/DZ, an AC/DC cover band formed by former EXODUS singer Steve “Zetro” Souza.

German death metal band CYTOTOXIN has signed a deal with Unique Leader Records. The band’s Radiophobia album will be released on November 6th. it was recorded at Kohlekeller Studio in Seeheim, Germany.

GOD FORBID was forced to cancel its show at the Heavy MTL festival, in August at Parc Jean-Drapeau in Montreal, Canada.

What a waste. Former FORBIDDEN, TESTMANT, LD/50 guitarist Glen Alvelais has joined with singer Derek Thompson, bassist Kimo Sanborn and drummer Nick Benigno are in a PANTERA cover band called HELLBOUND.

Swedish band EVOCATION will release an album, called Illusions Of Grandeur, on September 24th through Century Media Records.

German band AUTUMNBLAZE has signed a deal with Pulverised Records. The band’s album, Every Sun Is Fragile, will be released later this year.

San Antonio’s HOD is completing an upcoming new full-length, called Book Of The Worm. It is the follow-up to 2009’s Serpent and features nine tracks. The band is seeking a label.

Malaysian war-themed band HUMILIATION has signed a multi-album deal with Deepsend Records. Their as-of-yet untitled fourth album will be released in early 2013. The label has also signed Australia’s ETERNAL REST. The label will release the band’s debut album, Prophetic, in early 2013. The album was recorded and mixed by Joe Haley (PSYCROPTIC).

After five years of absence ETERNAL OATH has reunited. The ETERNAL OATH line-up is Joni Mäensivu on vocals, Peter Nagy-Eklof (ex-MÖRK GRYNING) and Petri Tarvainen on guitar, Ted Jonsson on drums with new bassist Mika Kajanen (GODPHOBIA) on bass and Johan Adler (DEVAN) on keyboards. The band plans to record an album next year.

Pulverised Records is going down the toilet: the label has signed Malaysian death metal band LAVATORY. Pooped in 2012, a five-song EP entitled Transgression was issued earlier this Summer. LAVATORY is currently working on its full-length debut.

Indie Recordings has signed Norwegian black metal group NIDINGR. The band features present and past members of bands such as MAYHEM, GORGOROTH, DHG (DØDHEIMSGARD), 1349 and GOD SEED, among others.

Norwegian black metal band GOD SEED will release its new full-length this autumn. Entitled I Begin, the record will hit North American shores on October 22nd through Indie Recordings.

Canadian thrashers TITANS EVE , which just released a demo called Life Apocalypse is booked for a European tour with ARCH ENEMY this coming October. This will be the band’s first European tour and will see them perform in Switzerland, Austria, Germany, France and Spain for the 10 show dates. Apparently, ARCH ENEMY singer Angela Gossow supported TITANS EVE’s opening slot.

Finnish melodic death metal act PAIN CONFESSOR will release an album, Incarcerated, on October 12th through Spinefarm Records.

INCANTATION has picked Vanquish In Vengeance as the title for its concept album, which is due in November through Listenable Records.

Metallian Hard

Germany’s MOB RULES is releasing an album called Cannibal Nation this autumn. It contains a song about Jean-Bedel Bokassa, the African human butcher.

KROKUS has picked Dirty Dynamite as the title for its next album, due in February. The band's bassist, Chris Von Rohr, is producing the album.

On September 24th, SPV will re-release three albums from ANVIL featuring new booklets containing new liner notes from guitarist and vocalist Steve "Lips" Kudlow and drummer Robb Reiner. The albums are Back To Basics, Still Going Strong and This Is Thirteen.

Inspired by KEEL! SATAN (The band not the Idea in cheaters’ head!) is working on a new album. The album, which is due next winter for the 30th anniversary of the release of the debut SATAN album Court In The Act will feature the band's original members. The band had performed at Wacken in 2004.

MY DYING BRIDE has picked A Map Of All Our Failures as the title for its next album, which is out on October 15th through Peaceville Records. The album was recorded and mixed at Futureworks Studios in Manchester, England with producer Rob "Mags" Magoolagan.

Former ICED EARTH members Matt Barlow (vocals) and Freddie Vidales (bass and guitar), as well as former NEVERMORE drummer Van Williams have picked ASHES OF ARES as the name of their new project.

Legacy Recordings/Sony Music will commemorate the 40th anniversary of BLUE ÖYSTER CULT’s 1972 debut self-titled album with the release of BLUE ÖYSTER CULT - The Columbia Albums Collection, a set of 16 CDs (the full official discography plus two discs of rarities, as well as the Some Other Enchanted Evening DVD. The set will be available Tuesday, October 30th.

Inspired by KEEL? Reunited LIEGE LORD will play the Keep It True XVI festival, taking place April 19-20th, 2013 at Tauberfrankenhalle in Lauda-Koenigshofen, Germany. The band’s original members Joe Comeau (vocals), Tony Truglio (guitars) and Matt Vinci (bass) will perform music from Master Control, Freedom's Rise and Burn To My Touch albums.

777 - Cosmosophy, the third part of BLUT AUS NORD's 777 trilogy, will be released on September 21st through Debemur Morti Productions.

Frontiers Records has signed KIX. The band's first live DVD and CD entitled, Live In Baltimore, is out on September 21st.

A has-been act like CELINE DION? GUNS N' ROSES will become a Las Vegas residency band at The Joint at Hard Rock Hotel & Casino this autumn. A series of 12 shows start October 31st and wraps up November 24th.

VAN HALEN guitarist Eddie Van Halen has spent three weeks in the hospital after undergoing surgery for diverticulitis, an infection of the intestines, and will require four to six month to recover. The band’s Japanese tour is postponed.

ATROCITY is working on a trilogy called Okkult. The German’s have hired Canadian sound designer Katie Halliday, who worked for movies like Saw V, Saw VI, Saw VII, The Devil's Carnival and more to assist.

UK band FURYON has announced dates for a European tour in support of its digital single release Don’t Follow. The trek kicks off on September 6th with four shows in the U.K before moving on the continental Europe.

ANGRA will release a compilation, Best Reached Horizons, in October through SPV/Steamhammer.

Shadow Kingdom Records has announced that ALTAR OF OBLIVION's Grand Gesture Of Defiance will be released on September 11th, 2012.

Swedish hard rock band IMPERA will release, Legacy Of Life, in October through Escape Music. The album was produced by Lars Chriss of LION'S SHARE.

Indian metal band KRYPTOS will release an album, The Coils Of Apollyon, on September 21st through AFM Records.

QUEENSRŸCHE, ACCEPT, DOKKEN and MSG are booked for this year's South Texas Rock Fest, on Saturday, October 13 at Sunken Gardens in San Antonio, Texas.

Pure Steel Records has announced September 28th as the release date for Saved From The Truth, the third studio album from Iranian heavy metal band ANGBAND. As with 2010's Visions Of The Seeker, the mixing and mastering was done by Achim Köhler (PRIMAL FEAR, etc.).

Romanian band MAGICA will release its next album, Center Of The Great Unknown, on October 12th through AFM Records.

U.S. doom act COVEN (also known as COVEN 13) has been confirmed to appear at Germany's Hammer of Doom Festival on November 10, 2012 at Posthalle in Würzburg.

KRUK, a Polish Hard Rock band, is currently in the studio working on the material for their new release. The third, as yet untitled, album is scheduled for release in autumn.

Following the release of Constantinople full-length, West Coast ethereal doom-doers, IDES OF GEMINI, has announced a near month-long run of European dates this September.

Former IRON MAIDEN singers Blaze Bayley and Paul Di'Anno will be together again for a tour of Australia and New Zealand in November and December. The two toured Russia in the winter.

MANOWAR's new album, The Lord Of Steel, will be released on September 28th following its limited-edition pre-release as the Hammer Edition inside Metal Hammer magazine in the UK.

H&R Productions has signed Finland’s SLAP BETTY.

LOST ANGELS, the band featuring singer John Corabi (MÖTLEY CRÜE and RATT), guitarist Eric Dover (SLASH'S SNAKEPIT and ALICE COOPER) and drummer Troy Patrick Farrell (WHITE LION, GILBY CLARKE and PRETTY BOY FLOYD), has recruited Eric Brittingham of CINDERELLA to fill in for bassist Muddy Stardust who himself is touring with the CHRIS ROBINSON BROTHERHOOD.

Black Flag, the new full-length from Hungary’s EKTOMORF will see North American release on September 25th through AFM Records. Following its acoustic album, simply titled The Acoustic, earlier this year, on Black Flag EKTOMORF have returned to its usual sound.

Former Roadrunner records country manager and A&R Monte Connor has joined Nuclear Blast for a new venture called Nuclear Blast Entertainment. The rock/mallcore man will sign and nurture band for Nuclear Blast Entertainment in the USA. Apparently, Nuclear Blast Records USA’s arrangement with Century Media will continue.

Italian quartet MASTERCASTLE are currently working on their fourth album entitled "Metals" with an anticipated release of early 2013 on Lion Music.

After several years of work NJ/NY progressive metal band FOREVER'S EDGE has announced the return of singer CLAY BARTON (SUSPYRE) for a sophomore album, Hereafter, as well as introduction of bassist NOAH MARTIN (ARSIS).

RAVEN LORD has announced the addition of guitarist George Karafotis (VERMILLION DAYS, OPERATION X, etc.) to the group’s ranks. George Karafotis comes from Thessaloniki, Greece. Born in March 1993, he started taking guitar lessons at the age of 11 by guitarist Laki Ragazas (DEVIL’S TRAIN and MYSTIC PROPHECY).

Metallian Demos

TITANS EVE – LIFE APOCALYPSE
The Canadian thrashers are back and the singer still sounds just like former Arch Enemy singer Liiva. His dry screaming is flat and limited in pitch, but not every singer needs to scream to high hell or gruff to low heaven. The music is accomplished and rather aggressive thrashing beginning with opener Destined To Die. It progresses well until the desultory instrumental A Wound That Never Heals. The band runs somehow out of gas with Hollow Gods and Divided We Fall being weaker songs. The latter song’s cliché lyrics do not help. The disc does end with another good song, The Void. Titans Eve is up there with the best Canada has to offer. Visit www.titanseve.com or e-mail the band’s publicistashermedia@gmail.com. - Ali “The Metallian”

CONFIDENCE – PRELUDE
Apparently one is not supposed to call this EP an EP. Rather, it is a four-song ‘digital release,’ made available on CD for review purposes. The band dislikes physical media. Interestingly, this disc would not be reviewed here were it not on a compact disc.
Well, publicists and bands are not impartial judges or observers and so this 2012 EP showcases a Swedish band whose style by no means would be considered modern. Instead, Flesh And Skin is a pomp hard rock track with a nod to Led Zeppelin. The follow-up is the group’s coup de grace. War Torn Skies is a song where both the singer and the guitarist shine. The vocal performance takes one back to Kingdom Come. As a matter of fact, the track inspired this writer to pull out the old Kingdom Come discs for a spin. Never Meant To Be is a useless ballad. The disc ends with Poison Lies. The group has evidently run out of ideas. The song is again pompous, but ends with filler passage with some conga, or whatever drumming. Some good, some great and some pedestrian material is the verdict. The band’s website is at www.confidenceofficial.com. The publicist is at marjo@metalrevelation.com. - Ali “The Metallian”

PSYCHOTHERMIA – SLASH & BURN
At first glance the band seems like quite a young one given that its first show was from 2012, but a second look reveals the Californians have been around longer as Canobliss.
The shorthaired three mix some modern influences with mall sounds with more traditional hard rock. This girl likes the hard rock more of course, but whether it is traditional heaviness, Avenged Sevenfold or Tool a listener could find something here. At first things got confusing on the lyrical side of things since the band is sending free music and CDs to US soldiers and fighters. This clashes with lyrics against slavery and tyranny. US army and marine are slaves to big power and tyrants. Then it all makes sense. By sending music like this to those same troops Psychothermia seek to open their eyes to the truth of the situation. The band is at www.psychothermia.com and can be reached at mike@psychothermia.com. - Sheila Wes Det